BLOG — Lafayette was going to run the ball until Byhalia proved it could stop it. That proof never came.

Running back Tyrell Price set the tone with an 80-yard touchdown run on the game’s first play from scrimmage, and the Commodores wrapped up their regular season in style with a 50-13 thrashing of Byhalia at William L. Buford Stadium Friday night to win their third straight game heading into next week’s MHSAA Class 4A playoffs.

Price had a night to remember, finishing with 228 of Lafayette’s 398 rushing yards on 17 carries. He ran for 203 of those in the first half and got three carries in the third quarter before getting the rest of the night off.

“That’s the way to start a game. It just got us going,” Lafayette coach Eric Robertson said of Price’s initial tote. “He’s a sophomore and has gotten better as the year’s gone on, and that’s what we expected out of him. He’s done a really good job for us.”

Quarterback Devon Thomas threw two of his three touchdown passes in the first two quarters — both going to senior wideout Dillon Helm — to help Lafayette (6-5 overall, 3-2 in Region 2-4A) mount a 28-7 halftime lead. Senior receiver Montreal Nabors also caught a touchdown pass while senior tailback D.K. Buford, who rushed 13 times for 68 yards, ran for a pair of scores and freshman Tay Owens found paydirt on one of his two carries.

The Commodores’ defense barely let Byhalia breathe, keeping the Indians’ offense out of the end zone until quarterback Markiese Rodgers found Antonio Wilson for a 42-yard touchdown pass in garbage time. Byhalia’s only other score came on a 76-yard kickoff return from Curtis Akins with Lafayette already leading 21-0 in the second quarter.

Lafayette limited the Indians to 13 yards in the first half and 83 for the game. The Commodores yielded just four first downs all night and baited Byhalia into three turnovers on their way to delivering one final home victory for their seniors.

“All week in practices, the coaches told us to read our reads,” said senior linebacker Kam Herod, who had one of Lafayette’s five sacks. “Everybody that we were going to go against, like the H-back, wingback and all of that, just follow the guards, read the linemen and they’d bring us to the ball. That’s all we did all night.

“It was Senior Night. We all wanted to come out there and play hard for each other. That’s what we did.”

In the video below, Price talks about his monster performance and helping the seniors win their last game on their home turf.

See Monday’s edition of the EAGLE for more on Lafayette’s win. (November 2, 2013)